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Gavil held his chin, slurring his words as he spoke. “Killian will come for you, and he will drain you until you beg for mercy. You will wish for death, but he won’t give it to you.”
He was up so quickly, Dannika didn’t have time to defend herself. Ryder coalesced behind the distracted reaper, stabbing him in the heart with his reaper blade.
Dannika covered her ears as the high-pitched scream echoed through the air. Members of every clan appeared around them, their eyes focused on Gavil as he withered and died.
She watched in fascination as Gavil’s color returned. His red eyes were a pale blue. Beautiful. Restored. But still dead.
“Is that normal? I didn’t see the reaper’s body after I killed that first time. His screech rendered me unconscious.”
Ryder nodded. “A reaper blade kills the demon soul, leaving only the human. We are purified in death.”
Growls echoed around them before red eyes coalesced out of the darkness.
Dannika spun around as more and more reapers appeared, attacking the closest shadow shifter to them. “We’re surrounded.”
Two reapers threw Ryder back twenty feet before they launched at him. His shadow warrior emerged, snarling and biting his adversaries.
An icy chill skated down her back, making the hairs on her skin stand up. He was there. The only reaper she feared.
Killian coalesced in front of her, his smile highlighted by glowing red eyes. “I had planned a more palatable reunion, Dannika.”
She backed away. “You don’t even know me. I never met you before becoming a shadow. Why the stalker behaviour?”
He glanced at the reapers attacking the shadow clan members. He appeared bored, as if war around him was an everyday event. “That’s true, but I know you. I had planned to introduce you to the reaper clan myself, but you fell into Maddock’s hands.” His eyes blazed. “I gave Maddock immortality and he still couldn’t control one tiny female. He deserves his fate.”
Dannika sucked in a stunted breath. “Maddock is a reaper?”
Killian turned back to her. “Almost. I gave him my blood, strengthening him, giving him the ability to kill Raine, but he hasn’t made his first human kill.”
Her lips pursed. “Then he’s not immortal. Raine can kill him.”
Killian’s eyes flickered with red fire. “Your wolf mate will die.”
With her attention on Killian, she hadn’t realized Ryder had disposed of the reapers fighting him. The piercing screams surrounding the caves all blended together. He charged Killian in his massive bear form, snarling as he took the reaper to the ground.
Killian’s shadow warrior burst forth with his claws extended. He punctured Ryder’s chest. The bear howled in pain before jumping back and assessing his attacker.
The second bear erupted from the melee of fights in the clearing. He was almost as big as Ryder as he positioned himself by his leader. Her heart did a little flip, and she recognized it for what it was: pride. Stern was born to be a soldier, and he continued that quest regardless of his form.
Killian glanced between the two bears and the reapers dying around him before his eyes locked with hers. “This isn’t over. You belong to me.”
He dissolved, entering the shadow pathway.
Around her, every living reaper disappeared, following their king.
Ryder resumed his human form, followed by Stern. He guided Dannika to the ring, now surrounded by the shadow warriors.
Every shadow knew the truth: Maddock was a traitor. The members of every clan positioned themselves at the pathway entrances. There was no escape.
Maddock’s eyes flickered red. “It’s much better when I don’t have to hide the truth. We will all be reapers. We will rule the humans.”
Raine hissed. “You traitor. How could you do this to humanity? Your mate was one of them.”
Maddock growled. “Like every human, she was weak. We will breed them. Feed on them. They are at the bottom of the food chain and must learn their place.”
Raine huffed. “You may have the blood of a reaper, but you haven’t made your first kill, or you would’ve lost your wolf. It’s dying, but it’s still there. And now that it knows that you betrayed it, it will aid in your destruction.”
“No!”
